City's 2012-13 budget open for community discussion

Want to offer your two-cents on how the city of Cincinnati's 2012-13 budget should be structured? City leaders want to hear it, too. Beginning next week, there will be a series of open discussions in which citizens can voice their greatest concerns as they relate to the development of the city's newest budget plan. There are three ways to voice your opinion about the direction of the next city budget: In-person community meetings: Monday,
April 16, 6:30 p.m. Dunham Recreation Center, 4356 Dunham Lane, Price HIll
Tuesday,
April 17, 6:30 p.m. College Hill Recreation Center5545 Belmont Ave., College Hill
Tuesday, April 17, 6 p.m. The Public Library of Cincinnati and
Hamilton CountyAvondale Branch, 3566 Reading Road, AvondaleElectronic Bulletin Boards: Answer guided discussion questions here or here. Surveys:A sample of surveys will be distributed to residents to identify budget priorities, plus there will be a survey available online. According to the city's press release, the community meetings are intended to function not as a "free-for-all" situation in which citizens take turns expressing opinions, but a civilized discussion to identify budget priorities facilitated by a third party. Once consultants assess public input and compare it to already-existing programs and initiatives, the feedback will be organized for presentation to Cincinnati City Council, which will make the ultimate decisions on 2012-13 budget priorities. Find current budget documents here.

Based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, this fantastical medieval drama isn’t just for fantasy nerds. Game of Thrones
follows the major families in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros (think
post-Dark Ages Europe), all with their respective lands, on the brink of
all-out war over who will take the all-powerful Iron Throne.

New Central Parkway location will include new equipment and software

Inhabitants at the 1100 block of Race Street will lose a neighbor beginning March 1, when Media Bridges
moves a few blocks away to a new location inside the Crosley
Telecommunications Center in Over-the-Rhine at 1223 Central Pkwy. The
move, although minor, means some improvements are in store for the
non-profit.
Media Bridges provides diverse communities in Cincinnati with the
opportunity to work with and produce forms of media. Although they've
called their 1100 Race St. location home since 2002, the move means a
larger production studio and purchase newer equipment and more
up-to-date video editing software. The Crosley Telecommunications Center
also houses CET and Cincinnati Public Radio. Because the facilities are
shared, Media Bridges hopes to collaborate with the outlets and explore
joint services, said CET Executive Vice President and Station Manager Jack Dominic in a news release.
The decision to stay in OTR was an obvious choice, according to Tom
Bishop, Media Bridges' Executive Director. "This is our neighborhood. We
love this place," he says. The change comes thanks to a dent in
funding; the City of Cincinnati cut Media Bridges' funding by one-third
in 2007, and a downsize has been brewing in their plans since then.
Although the new facility will have a larger production facility, office
space will be compressed to accommodate staff cuts. The new equipment
and software will be purchased using reserved funds, but Bishop says
it's worth the investment; "Some of our equipment was from 1989. You're
driving dinosaurs if you're not updating your software and equipment
every few years [in the media industry]."
The new equipment will make way for some promising advances in the
future, according to Bishop. Plans to teach courses on Wordpress web
design, computer classes for A + certification and a certification
program for Adobe Production Premiere are in the works.
Media Bridges will begin its transition on March 1 while it continues to
provide full services at its Race Street location. Its last day of
operation will be on April 20, followed by an 11-day hiatus to complete
the move to the new Central Parkway location, which is expected to open
to the community on May 3.

Winter is perhaps the most trying time of year for homeless Cincinnatians; the bitter cold isn't exactly inviting when you're not surrounded by four walls and a heap of blankets or proper clothing. This Thursday, a just-released study from the Family Homelessness and Housing Stability Task Force will be reviewed at the Christ Church Cathedral Undercroft during a community issues forum. Conversation is encouraged; ask questions and introduce concerns. The findings of the study will be explained and presented by Alice Skirtz, Chair of the Family Homelessness and Housing Stability Task Force, and Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. The study, conducted over a year, examines family homelessness and housing instability in Hamilton County. According to Josh Spring, Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, the report suggests a 73 percent increase in unemployed workers in Hamilton County from 2005 to 2010. The study culminated after a series of intimate focus groups with families suffering from or on the edge of homelessness across the county. Along with discussing the issues at hang, the forum will include recommendations for dealing with housing, unemployment and health care. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless seeks to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. The Homelessness and Housing Stability Taskforce was developed by GCCH to pool together resources to best evaluate and solve problems of homelessness across Cincinnati. The forum will be held Thursday, Feb. 23 at noon at Christ Church Cathedral Undercroft. 318 E. Fourth St. Bring a bagged lunch or purchase one for $5.50.

The push to privatize services traditionally provided by government is the focus of a community forum slated for next week.Since the Reagan era, privatization — or the outsourcing of public services to the private sector — has been touted as a way to make government more efficient and less costly. Critics, however, allege it is a form of union-busting that often leads to lower wages for workers and reduced accountability to the public.

A best-selling author and Emmy Award-winning TV producer will discuss humanity’s common origins at an upcoming political meeting.Jon Entine, author of Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People, will speak Jan. 17 at the Blue Ash Northeast Democratic Club. The topic of his speech will be “Our DNA – Why bigotry and prejudice should be a thing of the past.”

A cross-cultural and cross-philosophical view of gay pride

Cincinnati is full of gay people. Full. Of. Them. Gays and lesbians operate at every level on the community, from the bartenders at your favorite Clifton pub to doctors and lawyers in downtown firms. They cook your meals. They connect your calls. They tell you that you look fat in skinny jeans. It’s just like Fight Club, but with gays.